Chairs with corded seats



F. W. HAG ERTY CHAIRS WITH CORDED SEATS April 23, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1956 April 23, 1957 F. w. HAGERTY CHAIRS WITH CORDED SEATS Filed March 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent '0 CHAIRS WITH CORDED SEATS Francis W. Hag-arty, Cohasset, Mass., assignor to Hagerty Cliimpany, Cohasset, Mass, a corporation of Massac usetts Application March 6, 1956, Serial No. 569,745

1 Claim. (Cl. 155178) The present invention relates to chair constructions. It is particularly directed to that type of a chair construction wherein the seat frame is covered by pieces of cordage.

The main object of the invention is to provide a chair seat or chair bottom which is strong, light in weight, attractive in appearance, relatively simple and inexpensive to make; in fact, so simple in construction that it is capable of being formed by persons having very little or no experience at all in the production of chair seats.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chair construction which is adapted to be placed into commerce in the form of kits, including the prefabricated parts in knocked-down form and the cordage for covering the seat, to be set up or assembled by the purchaser.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a chair seat wherein the load bearing components are in the form of continuous cords or the like, which are strung between the edges of the framework of the seat continually without being rigidly attached to the framework at each point of reversal.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of the parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportions of the several elements and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top elevation of a chair frame embodying the invention, the chair back being broken away;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that illustrated in Fig. l, the seat frame being partially covered;

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, on a larger scale;

Figure 5 is a plane view similar to Fig. 3, with the seat in its final stage of production; and

. Figure 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5, drawn on the scale of Fig. 4.

Referring now more in detail of the drawings, the numerals 10 designate the front legs of the chair, and the numerals 11 the rear legs thereof. As usual in constructions of this type, the front legs are connected by a rung 12 and the rear legs by a rung 13. These rungs are disposed in a horizontal plane, as clearly appears from Fig. 2 of the drawings. The front legs are connected with the rear legs by rungs 14 and 15, the last-mentioned rungs lying in a horizontal Plane higher than the plane in which the set of rungs 12 and 13 is disposed. The two sets of rungs constitute the seat frame of the chair. The front legs extend a short distance above the level of the seat frame (Fig. 2), while the rear legs are made integral with the chair back, as usual in constructions of this type. Of

course, the legs are connected by a plurality of rungs below the chair seat frame, and the back elements are connected by slats, all of which have not been shown as they do not form part of the invention herein disclosed. It will be noted that the seat frame is wider at the front than at the rear, as indicated in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. In the top plane View of the seat, as shown in Fig. l, the rungs 12 and 13 are shown as extending in parallel relation, while the rungs 14 and 15 converge from the front legs 10 toward the rear legs 11. In other words, the seat frame, in top elevation, has the form of a trapezium.

The rungs 12 and 13 are each provided with an anchoring eyelet, designated by the numerals 16 and 17, respectively. On each of the rungs 14 and 15 is mounted a series of substantially equidistantly spaced anchoring eyelets 18. Preferably, all of these eyelets are screw-eyes, that is screws whose heads are in the form of loops. Screweyes are made use of in order to facilitate the assembling of the kits by persons not particularly skilful in setting up furniture kits. The eyelets extend horizontally, whereby cords are adapted to be passed through the same vertically, for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

When the elements of the chair have been assembled, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the seat frame is ready to receive its covering. As mentioned hereinbefore, the seat frame is to becovered with cordage. This cordage may be of any suitable type, obtained, for in stance, by twisting several strands together. The material of which the cordage is produced is unimportant. It is, however, essential that the cord be treated, preferably before it is applied to the seat frame, with a suitable waterproofing material. Anyone of the materials employed in forming cords may be used, such as hemp, including sisal hemp, or even spun paper cord may be used, provided it has been treated with water-proofing material.

Generally speaking, the seat covering consists of two continuous cords wound on the two sets of rungs forming the seat frame, the two sets of windings running substantially at right angles to one another, each winding being anchored to that set of rungs which is inactive in forming the respective windings.

Describing now in detail the seat structure in which the invention resides, two continuous cords are used in forming the seat covering. One of these cords, denoted by the numeral 19, is passed from below through the eyelet 17 on the rear rung 13 and a knot, not shown, formed on said cord below said eyelet, whereby it is anchored to the seat frame. The cord is then extended to the rung 14, as indicated at 20, and around the last-mentioned rung to and around the rung 15, thence back to the rung 14, the winding just described being shown at 21.

The windings are continued until the rungs 14 and 15 have been completely covered or, in other words, until the seat frame is covered from the rear rung 13 to the front rung 12, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the last complete winding being denoted by the numeral 22. Time after the end 23 of the cord is passed from above through the eyelet 16 on the rung 12 and anchored thereto by a knot 24 (Fig. 3). The last-mentioned figure shows only a few of the first and last windings of the cord 19. In winding this cord around the side rungs 14 and 15 of the seat frame, obviously, care must be taken that adjacent windings are in contact with one another, and that the windings are drawn sufficiently tight to maintain the rungs 14 and 1.5 continually in a state of compression, so that there is little likelihood of the same loosening. As stated above, the windings of the cord 19 are started at the rear rung 13, which is shorter than the front rung 12 so that, as the cord is wound upon the side rungs 14 and 15, each winding has a tendency, due to the converging arrangement of the last-mentioned rungs, to shift into contact with the next preceding winding, thus aiding to maintain the windings in place without each winding being separately rigidly attached to the chair frame as it passes over the side rungs 14 and 15.

p The second continuous cord, denoted by the reference numeral 25, is passed from below through that eyelet 18 on the side rung 14 which is nearest to the front rung 12. The cord is anchored to this eyelet by forming a knot (not shown) on the cord below said eyelet. The cord 25 is then passed between those windings of the cord 19 which are located adjacent the said eyelet 18, whereby the ends of the last-mentioned windings are somewhat separated, as indicated at 26. The cord 25 is thence extended toward the front rung 12, as shown at 27, run around the front rung toward the second eyelet 18 inthe series on the lung 14, drawn from below through the last-mentioned eyelet, after separating, as indicated at 28, those windings of the cord 19 adjacent the last-mentioned eyelet. The cord 25 is then extended toward the front rung 12, as indicated at 29, run around the said front rung to the third eyelet 18 in the series, and drawn from below through the lastnientioned eyelet and extended toward the front rung, as shown at 30. This procedure is continued until the cord has been passed from below through the last eyelet in the series on the side rung 14. It is then extended toward the front rung 12, as shown at 31, and around the latter toward and around the rear rung 13, providing a complete winding 32. The complete windings are continued until that eyelet 18 on the side rung 15 is reached which is located nearest the rung 13. The cord is then passed from below through the last-mentioned eyelet and extended toward the front rung 12, around the latter and back to the next eyelet in the series on the side rung 15. The cycle described is repeated until the cord has been passed through that eyelet 13 on the rung 15 which is nearest the front rung 12. The cord is thereupon extended toward and around the said front rung and anchored to the side rung 15, for instance, by a staple, not shown.

As clearly appears from Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, the two windings of the chair seat extend substantially at right angles to one another. Adjacent windings of the cord 25 are, like those of the cord 19, in contact with one another, and must be drawn sufficiently tight to place the rungs 12 and 13 continually in a state of compression, to prevent loosening of these rungs. The upper reaches of 4 the windings of the cord 25 rest on the upper reaches of the windings of the cord 19 (Fig. 6), and by placing the windings of the two cords substantially at right angles to one another, the weight placed upon the chair seat is more uniformly distributed, bringing the complete assembly in compression.

As set forth hereinabove, the cords are treated, before being applied to the seat frame, with water-proofing material. A finishing coat of varnish, or the like, may be applied to the seat after the windings have been completed.

The diameter of the cordage may be varied according to the requirements. However, in order to obtain the sculptured look presently in .vogue in the furniture trade, the diameter of the cordage should be in the neighborhood of 1". 7

Obviously, instead of the eyelets 16, 17 and 18, the rungs of the seat frame may be provided with extensions having holes, through which the cordage may be extended for anchoring purposes.

What I claim is:

A chair including front and rear legs, and comprising a seat frame including two sets of rungs connecting said legs, said sets lying in different horizontal planes, a continuous cord wound upon the set of rungs lying in the upper horizontal plane and anchored at its ends to the rungs lying in the lower horizontal plane, the windings of said cord extending from the rear legs of the chair to the front legs thereof and adjacent windings being in close contact with one another, and a second continuous cord wound upon the second setof rungs and anchored at spaced distances to that set of rungs which is disposed in the upper horizontal plane, the windings of said second cord extending from side to side of the chair and adjacent windings being in contact with one another, the upper reaches of the windings of said second cord resting upon the upper reaches of the windings of said first cord, and

.the windings of the two cords running substantially at right angles to one another.

Lambeth Apr. 4, 1922 Andreef Feb. 8, 1955 

